32^nd Street Canyon is a small coastal San Diego canyon with vestigial southern maritime chaparral, as well as coastal sage scrub and mulefat riparian plant communities. 

It also has a reliable human constituency supporting its revitalization. 

32nd Street Canyon projects demonstrate the challenges and opportunities of urban canyon recovery and wetlands awareness. When we started, it had many signs of blight: diminishing native ecosystems, many invasive weeds, drug encampments, a fire, and even signs of prostitution. On-going sewer maintenance access and erosion from developed areas above the canyon make us stretch for solutions.

32nd Street Canyon projects demonstrate the challenges and opportunities of urban canyon recovery and wetlands awareness. Our first success was saving our neighborhood coastal canyon from being developed. We removed 9.6 tons of debris (weighed by I Love A Clean San Diego), much of it leaching toxic chemicals. Volunteers have planted 4,000 plants increasing three critical native plant communities. Helped along by the San Diego Sierra Club’s Canyons Campaign, Aquatic Adventures here launched a “Kids in Canyons” program, which is presently extended to Golden Hill Elementary and Albert Einstein Academy. Teens from Nativity Prep Academy do monthly community service here, and the canyon hosts labs for high schools and universities, all this winning the Golden Hill community much recognition. City of San Diego urban forester Drew Potocki, Council President Ben Hueso, SDG&E and Urban Corps collaborated to install coast live oaks along C Street and 32nd Street, and SDG&E has supplied trees to replace those killed by gophers and stolen. Through the 32nd Street Canyon, Golden Hill is part of a statewide initiative to remove non-native pest plants that increase fire, flooding, disease-carrying pests and nitrification that contributes to global greenhouse gases. 

The canyon’s revitalization affords the neighborhood an improved recreational resource. Its self-sustaining carbon-sequestering greenscape also diminishes air and water pollution, and offsets the “urban heat island” effect. Thank you all who support this rejuvenation!